Kranji Racecourse plays host to the Singapore International Racing Festival Sunday afternoon and evening, with the S$3-million G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup over the 2000 meters and the S$1-million G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint for the short-trackers going the metric six furlongs. As has been the case over the last two years, horses invading from Hong Kong will take their fair share of beating.
The small racing jurisdiction supplies the last two winners of the SAI Cup, and it will be Dan Excel (Ire) (Shamardal) looking to become the first to successfully defend his title from 2014 when he defeated Smoking Sun (Smart Strike) and odds-on favorite Military Attack (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), the 2013 Cup hero. It has been a circuitous path this season for Dan Excel, who was set for an Australian sojourn centered around October's G1 Cox Plate, a stay that was derailed by illness. With this race squarely in the cross-hairs, he's had a four-race prep and emerges from a third to his stablemate Able Friend (Aus) (Shamardal) in the G1 Champions Mile two weeks ago. He set the pace in that six-horse affair, and a wide draw in 10 Sunday demands a positive ride from Tommy Berry.
Military Attack was free of excuses when beaten 3 1/4 lengths here last year and it has been something of a frustrating year for him since joining the barn of Caspar Fownes. He owns a single victory over 1600 meters from his five starts and has acted like a horse whose age may be catching up to him. He was most recently seventh in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Apr. 26, but possesses the inherent class to bounce back here.
No locally based runner has been successful in the SAI Cup since Ouzo (NZ) in 2000, but Stepitup (Aus) (Hussonet) will represent perhaps the best chance of righting that wrong. Winner of 10 of his 25 starts, the 5-year-old has rounded into his best form of late and dove home late to best Singapore Gold Cup hero Quechua (Arg) (Pure Prize) in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Kranji Apr. 26, with Wild Geese (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) a close fourth.
Lucky Nine (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) returns to arguably his favorite venue as he goes in search of a third consecutive win in the KrisFlyer, however his form has been far short of his best this term. The 8-year-old is winless in five appearances since defeating Emperor Max (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Zac Spirit (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}), including a ninth in the Apr. 26 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin. Instead it will likely be his compatriot Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) who will go favored, and deservedly so based on his body of work. Victorious in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December, he added the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen in late March and looks to add yet another international Group 1 here.
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